New Zealand’s North Island is one of the most scenic destinations on the planet. And its rolling hills and clifftops have become home to some world-class golf courses.
NEW PLYMOUTH (NGAMOTU) GC
New Plymouth is located between the dormant volcano of Mt Taranaki and the Tasman Sea, about three-and-a-half hours’ drive west of Taupo.
Routed in two loops away from the clubhouse toward the ocean, New Plymouth is known locally by its Maori name “Ngamotu” – meaning The Islands, which are located just off the coast and can be seen from the course.
The par-70 offers a mix of tree-lined fairways and links-like holes with much of the layout dating back to CH Redhead’s design from 1933. That said, all the greens and some holes have been remodelled at different stages during the past few decades.
The highlight of any round is the quality of the par-3s, which not only vary in length but they also play in differing directions. This places a premium on judging the ever-present wind and making a correct club selection.
The 161-metre 6th hole is regarded as the club’s signature hole with Mt Taranaki providing a spectacular backdrop to the green as you ponder your club selection from the tee. Taking wind direction and strength into account, a wide range of clubs can be considered to avoid the lake short of the green, and the bunkers left and right of the putting surface.
The 6th might be highly favoured by the club but many believe the course’s shortest hole has rightful claims. The 120-metre par-3 14th, with the Tasman Sea off the background, is a fine links hole and, as such, it rarely if ever plays to its scorecard distance simply because of the wind. The pot bunkers in front of the green are best avoided and don’t over-club as out-of-bounds lies behind the green.
PARAPARAUMU BEACH
Fans of traditional links courses simply love Paraparaumu Beach.
The American course designer Tom Doak, long before he returned to New Zealand to create Cape Kidnappers, listed Paraparaumu (pronounced Para-param) in his top-14 links courses in the world, alongside the likes of the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland, Northern Ireland’s Royal County Down and Ireland’s famous Ballybunion.
This is esteemed company indeed for a course that began its existence back in the 1930s simply as an added attraction for real estate buyers purchasing land in the new beachside village.
The original course was completely redesigned in 1949 by Dr Alister Mackenzie’s Australian protégé Alex Russell, who had previously created Royal Melbourne’s East course and Lake Karrinyup in Perth.
Paraparaumu covers rugged, windswept dunesland about 50 minutes’ drive north of Wellington and, despite the encroachment on its borders of the surrounding suburb, which the course helped establish, little has changed to the course in nearly 70 years. That said, it became apparent during the 2002 New Zealand Open – when Tiger Woods made his first appearance in the country – that some of the layout’s links character had been lost, purely because of the way the course was presented.
Superior presentation and changes to the set-up of the course during the past few years has recaptured that links character.
General Manager Leo Barber is a keen student of the game and under his guidance green surrounds have been closely shaved to place a premium on greater accuracy on approach shots. These tight-cropped areas drop steeply off the edge of elevated greens that now play firm and fast, just like the fairways. Several deep bunkers around the course have been revetted and modelled on the most treacherous of the St Andrews bunkers and are now the most formidable hazards.
HOW TO GET THERE
For more than 18 years, Charlies Golf Tours has been taking Australasians on golfing holidays around the world. Now, its sister brand, Golf Encounters, is doing the same thing in New Zealand – enabling people to explore world class course on both the North and South Islands.
With a handful of World Top-100 courses in New Zealand, you will not be disappointed – indeed, you will be challenged and taken way out of your comfort zone. And with hundreds more regional and local club courses available all around the country, there won’t be an area in New Zealand where they can’t fix you up with a round or two.
Golf Encounters delivers a superbly organised, fun and great value golfing holiday experience for you and your partner, a small group of friends or a group from a golf club.
They take care of everything so you can enjoy a hassle-free relaxed holiday and play golf on spectacular courses. They will tailor the holiday just for you; to your budget, length of trip, level of accommodation and standard of golf courses. And they have rates that are equal to or better than if you booked a trip yourself, so why not let them do all the hard work and pull everything together for you?
There are three suggested itineraries on their website (www.golfencounters.co.nz) which cover New Zealand’s marquee courses. These will provide a starting point for you to plan your golfing holiday. If you want to explore more of New Zealand than just the golf courses, as a full service travel agent, Golf Encounters is well placed to book all the various tourist activities that are available here too – a visit to the Lord of the Rings film sets, Hobbiton, a winery visit or two, a train journey on the TranzAlpine over Arthur’s Pass to the West Coast, it’s all possible.
Best times to travel to New Zealand? Anytime, although probably give June to August a miss – it can be wet and cold, particularly down South.
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